Russia once again moves to restrict Telegram

The Russian government has adopted a new decision to limit the operation of Telegram within the country.

Source: Russian news outlets, citing Roskomnadzor, a Russian federal executive agency

Details: Roskomnadzor has already begun throttling the messenger's performance starting from 10 February.

Russian Telegram users began complaining about access problems as early as 9 February. Similar issues were also recorded in January 2026 and in late December 2025. Most complaints concern slow loading of photos and videos and delays in sending messages.

This is not the first time Russia has attempted to restrict the operation of messaging apps. In October 2025, the aggressor state temporarily limited new registrations on Telegram and WhatsApp, and prior to that, users reported widespread difficulties accessing the apps.

Roskomnadzor has previously said such restrictions were introduced to "counter criminals". In the case of WhatsApp, authorities claimed the messenger was allegedly used to organise terrorist attacks.

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